Corner Duct with Co-Extruded Hinges

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a one-piece corner duct that routes wires in a corner of an enclosure. The one-piece corner duct includes a back wall and sidewalls. The back wall has at least one co-extruded hinge that enables the back wall to pivot to allow the one-piece corner duct to conform to a corner of the enclosure. The sidewalls have a plurality of fingers that retain the wires in the corner duct. The fingers also maintain a cover on the one-piece corner duct to provide access to the wires therein.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/758,627, filed Jan. 13, 2006, the subject matter ofwhich is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a corner duct for routine wires, andmore particularly to a corner duct with co-extruded hinges for routingwires along the vertical corner of a control panel enclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known to use a wire duct to route wires in an enclosure. Typicallyrectangular ducts are used to route wires inside the enclosure.Rectangular ducts, however, are fastened to the panels of the enclosurewithout abutting the corner of the panels of the enclosure. As a result,internal space behind the duct is wasted. Angled wire ducts have alsobeen used to route wires in an enclosure. The prior angled wire ductsare formed from multiple pieces and require end user assembly where eachpiece is individually mounted to the enclosure to form a corner wireduct.

Thus, it would be desirable to provide a one-piece corner where ductthat is easy to install and is designed to efficiently use the internalspace in the enclosure to route wires.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed toward a one-piece corner duct used toroute wires in an enclosure. The one-piece corner duct includes a backwall and sidewalls. The back wall has at least one co-extruded hinge.The co-extruded hinge enables the back wall to pivot to allow theone-piece corner duct to conform to a corner of the enclosure. Thesidewalls have a plurality of fingers. The fingers retain the wires inthe one-piece corner duct. The fingers also maintain the cover that isinstalled over the one-piece corner duct to cover the wires and toprovide access to the wires positioned therein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the corner duct of the presentinvention with a double co-extruded hinge;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the corner duct of FIG. 1 in apre-installed configuration;

FIG. 3 illustrates an end view of the corner duct of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates an end view of the double co-extruded hinge of thecorner duct of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exploded view of the corner duct of FIG. 1 with amounting clip secured to a back panel and a side panel of an enclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded view of the corner duct of FIG. 1 with amounting clip and a cover;

FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of the corner duct of FIG. 5 to be mountedto the mounting clip secured to the enclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of the double co-extruded hinge of thecorner duct of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 illustrates a top view of the mounting clip to be installed inthe pockets of the corner duct of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 illustrates a top view of the corner duct of FIG. 1 mounted tothe mounting clip;

FIG. 11 illustrates a top view of the double co-extruded hinge and thecorner duct of FIG. 1 mounted to the mounting clip;

FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of the corner duct of FIG. 1 tobe mounted to the enclosure by mounting rails;

FIG. 13 illustrates a top view of a portion of the corner duct of FIG.12 to be mounted to one of the mounting rails;

FIG. 14 illustrates a top view of a portion of the corner duct of FIG.12 mounted to one of the mounting rails;

FIG. 15 illustrates a perspective view of the corner duct of FIG. 1 tobe mounted to the enclosure by mounting discs;

FIG. 16 illustrates a top view of a portion of the corner duct of FIG.15 to be mounted to one of the mounting discs;

FIG. 17 illustrates a top view of a portion of the corner duct of FIG.15 mounted to one of the mounting discs;

FIG. 18 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative corner duct ofthe present invention with a single co-extruded hinge;

FIG. 19 illustrates a perspective view of the corner duct of FIG. 18 ina pre-installed configuration;

FIG. 20 illustrates an end view of the corner duct of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 illustrates an end view of the single co-extruded hinge of thecorner duct of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 illustrates a top view of the corner duct of FIG. 18 mounted toa mounting clip;

FIG. 23 illustrates a top view of the single co-extruded hinge of thecorner duct of FIG. 18;

FIG. 24 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative molded cornerduct of the present invention with hinging sidewalls mounted to anenclosure;

FIG. 25 illustrates a perspective view of the corner duct of FIG. 24 ina pre-installed configuration;

FIG. 26 illustrates a perspective view of the disengaged latch mechanismof the corner duct of FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 illustrates an end view of the latch mechanism of FIG. 25;

FIG. 28 illustrates a perspective view of the snap-fit mechanism of thecorner duct of FIG. 25;

FIG. 29 illustrates a perspective view of the corner duct of FIG. 25 tobe assembled to a second corner duct;

FIG. 30 illustrates a perspective view of the corner ducts of FIG. 29assembled to each other;

FIG. 31 illustrates a cross section of the snap-fit mechanism takenalong the line 31-31 of FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 illustrates a perspective view of the corner duct of FIG. 24;

FIG. 33 illustrates a top view of the corner duct of FIG. 24 mounted tothe enclosure;

FIG. 34 illustrates a perspective view of the engaged latch mechanism ofthe corner duct of FIG. 24; and

FIG. 35 illustrates a top view of the engaged latch mechanism of thecorner duct of FIG. 24.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-17 illustrate a one-piece corner duct 50 of the presentinvention with a double co-extruded hinge 54. As shown in FIG. 1, thecorner duct 50 is positioned in the corner of an enclosure 82. Aremovable cover 90 is attached to the corner duct 50 to provide easyaccess to the wires routed therein. As discussed below, the corner duct50 is mounted to the enclosure 82 by a mounting device, such as mountingclips 100 (see FIGS. 5-7 and 9-11), fasteners 69 (see FIGS. 10-11),mounting rails 120 (see FIGS. 12-14) or mounting discs 140 (see FIGS.15-17). Although mounting clips, fasteners, mounting rails and mountingdiscs are illustrated, it is contemplated that other mounting devicesmay also be used.

FIGS. 2-4 illustrate the corner duct 50 in a pre-installed extrudedconfiguration. The corner duct 50 is a one-piece extruded duct with aback wall 52 and sidewalls 70. The corner duct is extruded as one piecein an “open” state.

As show in FIGS. 1-8, 10-12 and 15, the back wall 52 of the corner duct50 includes a double co-extruded hinge 54. FIGS. 4 and 8 illustrate thedouble co-extruded hinge 54 in detail. The double hinge 54 includes twoliving hinges 56 that allow the back wall 52 to pivot to enable thecorner duct 50 to be installed at the corner of an enclosure 82. Thus,the double hinge 54 enables the back wall 52 and the sidewalls 70 toconform to the perpendicular back panel 84 and the side panel 86 of theenclosure 82 (see FIG. 10). The double hinge 54 also includes twolatches 58 for securing a divider wall (not illustrated) in the cornerduct, if desired.

The sidewalls 70 of the corner duct 50 include a plurality of fingers72. The fingers 72 are angled slightly outward to provide a pre-loadthat maintains the cover 90 on the duct 50. Each finger 72 includes adouble restricted slot 74 designed with a detent nub 76. The detent nub76 retains the wires in the slot 74 in several positions along thefinger 72. Each finger 72 also includes score-lines (not illustrated) toenable the fingers 72 to be removed from the duct 50, if desired. Aflange 80 is located at the free end of each finger 72. The flanges 80engage the flanges 96 of the removable cover 90 when installed on thecorner duct 50.

As shown in FIG. 3, the back wall 52 of the corner duct also includes aplurality of pockets 62, 64. The pockets 62, 64 are located in the backwall 52 on each side of the double co-extruded hinge 54. As describedbelow, the pockets 62, 64 are sized to receive a variety of mountingdevices that may be used to secure the corner duct 50 to the enclosure82.

As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting clips 100 are secured to the back panel84 and the side panel 86 of the enclosure 82. The mounting clips 100include a body 102, holes 104 for receiving fasteners 105 and two ends106. Each end includes a flange 108 that engages the corner duct whenthe corner duct is mounted to the mounting clips.

As illustrated in FIGS. 9-11, the first pocket 62 in the back wall 52 isdesigned to house the fastener 105 that secures the mounting clip 100 tothe enclosure. The second pocket 64 is designed to house at least aportion of the mounting device. More specifically, the second pocket 64includes at least one inward projection 66 that engages the portion ofthe mounting device to secure the corner duct to the mounting device. Asillustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the projection 66 engages the flange 108at the end 106 of the mounting clip 100 to secure the duct to themounting clip.

The back wall 52 also includes a plurality of mounting holes 68 locatednear the sidewalls 70. When the duct is positioned against the backpanel 84 and side panel 86 of the enclosure 82, a fastener 69, such asmachine screws or nylon rivets, can be installed in each mounting hole68 to secure the corner duct 50 to the enclosure 82. Thus, in additionto the mounting clip 100, the corner duct 50 may be secured to theenclosure via the fastener 69 through the mounting hole 68.Alternatively, the corner duct 50 may be mounted to the enclosure 82solely by a plurality of fasteners 69.

FIGS. 12-14 illustrate mounting rails 120, one of the alternativemounting devices, to secure the corner duct to the enclosure. Themounting rails 120 include a body 122 with inwardly extending flanges124 that is secured to the back panel 84 and the side panel 86 of theenclosure 82 by fasteners 125. The corner duct is mounted to themounting rails by positioning the mounting rail within the secondpockets 64 on the back wall 52 of the corner duct. The protrusions 66 ofthe second pocket 64 engage the mounting rail 120 to secure the cornerduct 50 to the mounting rail 120 and the enclosure 82.

FIGS. 15-17 illustrate mounting discs 140, one of the alternativemounting devices, to secure the corner duct to the enclosure. Themounting discs 140 are positioned a spaced distance apart along the backpanel 84 and the side panel 86 of the enclosure 82. The mounting discs140 include a circular lip 142 and a hole for receiving a fastener 145to secure the mounting disc 140 to the enclosure. The corner duct ismounted to the mounting discs by positioning the mounting discs withinthe second pockets 64 of the back wall 52 of the corner duct 50. Theprotrusions 66 of the second pocket 64 engage the underside of thecircular lip 142 to secure the corner duct 50 to the mounting disc 140and the enclosure 82.

FIGS. 18-23 illustrate an alternative corner duct 150 of the presentinvention with a single co-extruded hinge 154. The corner duct 150 issimilar to the corner duct 50 illustrated in FIGS. 1-17 except for thesingle co-extruded hinge 154. The single co-extruded hinge 154 includesone living hinge 156 and two latches 158 for securing a divider wall(not illustrated) in the corner duct, if desired.

As with the double co-extruded hinge, the single co-extruded hingeenables the duct to be extruded as one piece. The living hinge 156enables the back wall 152 of the corner duct 150 to pivot. Thus, theco-extruded hinge 154 can be positioned at the corner of the enclosureto enable the corner duct 150 to be positioned flush against the cornerof the enclosure. As a result, a portion of the back wall 152 of theduct would be positioned against the back panel 84 and the side panel 86of the enclosure 82, as illustrated in FIG. 22. The pockets 162, 164 inthe back wall 152 are positioned to receive the mounting device, such asmounting clips, to secure the corner duct to the enclosure. Althoughonly the mounting clip is illustrated, the corner duct with the singleco-extruded hinge could also be mounted to the enclosure by the mountingrails, the mounting discs or by fasteners through holes as illustratedand described above with respect to the double co-extruded hinge.

FIGS. 24-35 illustrate an alternative molded corner duct of the presentinvention with hinged sidewalls. As illustrated in FIGS. 25, 29, 30, 32and 33 the corner duct 250 includes a back wall 252 and hingingsidewalls 270. When the corner duct 250 is positioned in the corner ofan enclosure 82, the hinges 300 along the sidewalls 270 allow thesidewalls 270 to pivot inward to conform to the perpendicular back panel84 and the side panel 86 of the enclosure 82.

As illustrated in FIGS. 25-31, the top of the back wall 252 includessnap-fit mechanisms 310. Each snap-fit mechanism 310 includes a malemember 312 and a female member 314. The snap-fit mechanisms 310 enablethe corner duct 250 to be attached to a second identical corner duct 250as illustrated in FIGS. 24, 29 and 30. As a result, multiple cornerducts may be positioned to route wiring in the enclosure.

As illustrated in FIGS. 32-35, a plurality of latch mechanisms 320 arepositioned on either side of the hinges 300. Each latch mechanism 320includes a male member 322 and a female member 324. The male members 322are positioned on the sidewall 270 and the female members 324 arepositioned on the back wall 252. When the sidewalls 270 pivot, the malemember 322 also pivots until it engages the female member 324 on theback wall 252. The latch mechanisms 320 enable the sidewalls 270 to lockin the installed position to form the corner duct 250.

The corner duct 250 is attached to the back panel 84 and the side panel86 of the enclosure 82 by fasteners (not illustrated), such as machinescrews or nylon rivets, through the mounting holes 268 in the back wall252 of the corner duct 250.

Furthermore, while the particular preferred embodiments of the presentinvention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the teaching of the invention. The matter set forth inthe foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way ofillustration only and not as limitation. The actual scope of theinvention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewedin their proper perspective based on the prior art.

1. A one-piece corner duct for routing wires in an enclosure, theone-piece corner duct comprising: a back wall having at least oneco-extruded hinge: and sidewalls having d plurality of fingers. wherebythe at least one co-extruded hinge enables the back wall to pivot toallow the one-piece corner duct to conform to a corner of the enclosure.2. The one-piece corner duct of claim 1, wherein the back wall includesa plurality of pockets for receiving a mounting device that mounts theone-piece corner duct to the enclosure.
 3. The one-piece corner duct ofclaim 1, wherein the back wall includes latches for receiving a dividerwall.
 4. The one-piece corner duct of claim 3, wherein the back wallincludes one co-extruded hinge positioned between the latches.
 5. Theone-piece corner duct of claim 3, wherein the back wall includes twoco-extruded hinges positioned adjacent the latches.
 6. The one-piececorner duct of claim 1, wherein the fingers are angled for providing apre-load that maintains a cover installed over the one-piece cornerduct.
 7. The one-piece corner duct of claim 1, wherein the fingersinclude a double restricted slot with a detent nub for retaining thewires in the one-piece corner duct.
 8. A one-piece corner duct and amounting device assembly for routing wires in an enclosure, the assemblycomprising: a one-piece corner duct including a back wall and sidewalls,the back wall having at least one co-extruded hinge and a plurality ofpockets; and a mounting device positioned in at least one of the pocketsin the back wall of the one-piece corner duct for mounting the one-piececorner duct to the enclosure.
 9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein themounting device includes a mounting clip.
 10. The assembly of claim 8,wherein the mounting device includes mounting rails.
 11. The assembly ofclaim 8, wherein the mounting device includes mounting discs.
 12. Theassembly of claim 8, wherein the mounting device includes fasteners. 13.A one-piece corner duct for routing wires in an enclosure, the one-piececorner duct comprising: a back wall having a plurality of first latchmembers; and sidewalls hinged to the back wall, each sidewall having aplurality of second latch members, whereby the hinged sidewalls pivot toconform the one-piece corner duct to a corner of the enclosure and thefirst latch members and the second latch members cooperate to lock thesidewalls.
 14. The one-piece corner duct of claim 13, further comprisinga snap-fit mechanism for joining adjacent one-piece corner ducts.